No listen to a Wu-Tang album ever really begins until it's given the headphone treatment, and this is true more than ever with "8 Diagrams," the eight-man group's first release since 2001. Always among hip-hop's most distinctly musical acts--even before its murderers' row MCs step up--the group's fourth release sounds astoundingly creative, especially on the low end. The drums and bass mesh and play with a freedom not often associated with rap records.

Wu-Tang's firing-line lyricism sounds more managed, less frenetic on "8 Diagrams," and that's a good thing. Maturity isn't quite the right way to describe what Wu overlord RZA brought to this production, but what stands out is something akin to order. By now, we know that Method Man and Ghostface Killah are the stars of this show. Raekwon represents something of RZA's idealized self, at least in terms of storytelling ambition, while the GZA is the group's go-to voice, its high-percentage hitter. Inspectah Deck is the underrated, Steve Nashian assist artist of the posse, with U-God, Masta Killa and RZA himself functioning as role players; a little from these limited MCs goes a long way in making the intricate design of "8 Diagrams" truly pop upon repeated listens. Their flows aren't as varied and impressive as Wu-Tang's big three, yet, when presented properly, their rhymes are as powerful as anything in the collection.

Production assistance here comes from Nile Rodgers, George Clinton, Marley Marl, John Frusciante, Easy Mo Be and Dhani Harrison, among others, and their presence is deeply felt. On the first single, "Heart Gently Weeps," an interpolation of Dhani Harrison's father George's guitar guides a down-and-dirty remake of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." (Erykah Badu's vocals are no small presence, either.)

Every Wu-Tang album is an event, including the uneven ones. And on "8 Diagrams," one of popular music's strangest entities continues its tradition of innovation and downright surprise.